Species‐Specific Responses of Farmland Birds to Overhead Powerlines
Ana Teresa Marques, João Paulo Silva, Francisco Moreira

TL;DR
This study shows that while most farmland birds are not affected by powerlines, two species avoid areas near them, suggesting a need for conservation measures.
Contribution
The study identifies species-specific displacement effects of powerlines on farmland birds in the Mediterranean region.
Findings
Overall bird and grassland bird species richness was not significantly affected by proximity to powerlines.
The little bustard and calandra lark showed displacement effects up to 1 km from powerlines.
No attraction to powerlines was observed among farmland birds.
Abstract
Displacement and attraction effects caused by transmission powerlines on bird species have been documented, but this topic remains underexplored in the scientific literature. Here, we evaluated the impact of transmission powerlines on bird species typical of open farmlands in the Mediterranean region, focusing on five areas designated to protect farmland birds in Southern Portugal. Using an impact‐gradient design, we assessed how birds responded to the proximity of transmission powerlines. Breeding bird data were collected in 2021 and 2022. Our analysis revealed that, after controlling for habitat effects, overall Bird Species Richness and Grassland Bird Species Richness were not significantly influenced by the distance to powerlines. However, species‐specific negative effects were observed for two farmland species: the little bustard ( Tetrax tetrax ) and the calandra lark (…
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Taxonomy
TopicsWildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation · Avian ecology and behavior · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
